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Clydesdales help usher in new beer laws

As of Jan. 1, grocery and convenience stores can now sell full-strength beer

Scott Morrison and Rudy Helmuth, Clydesdale handlers for the Budweiser Clydesdale, brave the snowy New Years Eve Day with horses Cash and Sparky to mark the end of prohibition-era beer laws in Colorado.

Shanna Fortier

Rudy Helmuth prepares to lead Cash, a Budweiser Clydesdale, to the Colorado State Capitol to celebrate the beginning of full-strength beer sales at grocery stores in Colorado.

Shanna Fortier

Rudy Helmuth leads Cash, a Budweiser Clydesdale, to the Colorado State Capitol to celebrate the beginning of full-strength beer sales at grocery stores in Colorado.

The Budweiser Clydesdales are represented by their own mascot, a Dalmation, which was traditionally used to guide horse-drawn fire carts.

Nick Puckett

The famous Budweiser Clydesdales made an appearance at a Lone Tree Safeway Jan. 1 to celebrate the end to Prohibition-era beer laws.

Nick Puckett

The Budweiser Clydesdales have been the mascots for the American beer company since 1933, appearing first as a celebration gift to August and Adolphus Busch to celebrate the end of Prohibition.

Nick Puckett

The Budweiser Clydesdales travel the country in ceremony for various events. On Jan. 1 the Clydesdales visited a Safeway in Lone Tree to celebrate the end of restrictive sale of 3.2 percent beer, which has been the norm in Colorado since Prohibition ended in 1933.

The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales visited the Colorado Capitol Dec. 31 to celebrate the repeal, effective New Year's Day, of laws that prevented sales of beer greater than 3.2 percent alcohol by weight in most Colorado grocery and convenience stores.

“We're happy to celebrate this day with Coloradans while the state embraces modern beer laws that will help the Centennial State's vibrant beer industry continue to prosper,” said Greg Sollazzo, Anheuser-Busch regional vice president.

Not everyone was celebrating, though. Some owners of local liquor stores are concerned about taking a possible hit to their sales this year.

The change is due to Senate Bill 16-197, which passed in 2016, which eliminates the two tiers for sales and allows all retailers licensed to sell beer to do so, regardless of alcohol content.

This means Coloradans can now buy full-strength beer at liquor stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations and big box retailers, such as Walmart, Target, Costco and Sam's Club. The hours for beer sales every day are 8 a.m. to midnight.

The new law will not change where wine and liquor and liquor can be purchased. Only licensed liquor stores can sell wine and liquor in Colorado. Hard cider is considered wine under the law, so to find the full-strength versions Coloradans will still need to buy it from a liquor store.

Ben Ammari, manager of Vineland Liquors in north Arvada, said he believes his family-run liquor store will take a 10 percent hit on beer sales over the next year. Their store is located about 10 blocks away from two King Soopers and one Safeway.

"I think the first two to three months are going to show a lot," Ammari said. "We will adapt to what we need to in order to survive. The way I look at it is that hopefully the Colorado community will continue to back the family-owned stores."

Under the new rules, some 1,600 stores will have their licenses automatically upgraded, allowing them to replace their 3.2 percent beer with higher-alcohol content brews. That includes more than 100 stores for both King Soopers and Safeway, according to state records.

Grocers are promising a diverse set of options — including local beer unique to different regions as well as mega-brewers, such as Anheuser-Busch and Coors, and larger craft breweries, including Boston Beer, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada.

“This bill made tomorrow a historic day in Colorado,” said Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Parker. “We've worked together to bring us to this point. Beer will finally be beer in Colorado.”

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